Irresistible
by love at third sight
Summary: The attraction between them is ultimately undeniable, even throughout the years. Some OkiKagu, mostly GinTsu. Post-canon. Spoilers for the Love Incense Arc.
1. Chapter 1

a/n: May of 2014 was the shining month of the GinTsu ship. Praise be to the Lord... my ship is supported by the Divine Gorilla himself...

Hijikata and Tsukuyo being friends with each other gives me life. Seriously, if Sorachi eliminated every GinTsu interaction from the manga, I would most definitely ship them together. In the world of post-canon, I imagine them to work closely together since the Harusame are both enemies of Yoshiwaran and the Edo populace, and in this fic they've become pretty good friends.

* * *

_Irresistible_

-x-

"Tsukuyo-san, I have a question. Why, after all these years, have you stayed alone?"

The woman in question lifted an eyebrow. "I thought it was obvious."

"Have you been waiting for someone too? It seems like that's the fate of all us Yoshiwaran women."

"Yes it is," she answered easily, dodging the first question.

Her subordinate was ten years younger than she, still full of life and energy while she could expend it at her whim. Her name was Asahi, and she was the daughter of a small courtesan whom Hinowa had trained with when they were younger.

"Still, someone beautiful like you, I'm surprised you haven't been attached yet."

Tsukuyo smiled. "It's not my place to be with the person I love most, Asahi-chan."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Because he doesn't settle down," the older woman said, breathing out smoke comfortably. "He's not... that type of man."

She walked in front of Asahi, leaving her subordinate to ponder her the mystery of the Moon of Yoshiwara.

-x-

The Yoshiwara landscape had not changed much after a decade of opening the sky.

"Hinowa-san, you'd say you've known Tsukuyo-san for quite a long time, right?"

"Ever since she was a little girl, yes. Why do you ask?"

Asahi pushed the aging woman on her wheelchair; her task had been to assist Hinowa with her day to day activity, a job designated for rookies in the Hyakka organization. "I just wondered... what type of man is she in love with?"

Hinowa laughed. "Out of all those things, you choose to ask me something like this?"

"I was curious," Asahi said defensively. "She's a very beautiful woman, after all, and I like her very much."

"Jealous?"

"Of - of course not!" At the sign of Hinowa's smirk, she rushed to defend herself once more. "It's just that she's been such a wonderful mentor to me and... I want her to be happy."

"That's very cute. If only you were born a man," Hinowa sighed. "Then you would have been perfect for her. But as for your question... The man whom she loves is someone who's more remarkable than he looks at first sight, Asahi-chan." Hinowa smiled as she remembered the first time she had laid eyes on him. "In fact, I'd say he's rather famous around these parts."

"He's a customer?" the girl asked, astonished.

"No, not at all. He's our savior."

"He's the one who opened the ceiling?"

"Of course. A long time ago, Yoshiwara used to be ruled by an Amanto who was freakishly strong. He had rules that had to be followed; rules like us courtesans not being able to leave Yoshiwara at our whim, rules like if one of us had landed up pregnant, and so on. During those days Tsukuyo was instructed to kill us one by one. If she didn't abide by those rules, she would have risked her own death."

"That's horrible."

"It was, wasn't it? I lost my legs because of that rule," Hinowa said, smiling sadly. "But the point is, the man by some miracle eliminated the Amanto in this town. He opened the ceiling for which we are well known for now. Back then it had been an eternal night; many girls had never seen sunlight after they were sold into Yoshiwara."

"And is this man... still alive?"

"Of course he is."

"Does he know that Tsukuyo-san loves him?"

"Ah, that's the million dollar question, isn't it? I wouldn't know, to be frank."

"Does he like her back?"

"I don't know, Asahi-chan."

The girl sighed forlornly. "What a shame. They sound like they were made for each other."

Hinowa looked at her fondly. "But in the end, they're probably happy, and that's what matters, right?"

Asahi looked away. "I guess."

"Unrequited love isn't the worst thing in the world. When you have things to protect, there are things you have to push away in the meantime."

-x-

"Congratulations," he said gruffly to the bride and groom. "May you both suffer from the pain that comes with marital domestication."

"Gin-chan, most people just give us envelopes full of money at a wedding..."

"That's right, Danna. I expected that after you stiffed me the bill for the celebration."

"Well, what do you know," he said, pulling out his envelope. "This might feed her for a week, but don't count on it, Soichirou-kun..."

"It's Sougo. And thank you," the groom said, his eyes softening before he took the hand of his newlywed wife, leading her away to the other guests.

He sighed to himself; it was bittersweet to know that his adopted daughter was in the hands of a legendary sadist now for good. It wasn't that Kagura couldn't take care of herself; after all, she was biologically related to two of the most dangerous Yato warriors in the galaxy. And emotionally speaking, she had gone through a ton of development when she had traveled to different planets, making a living beside her father killing space aliens for a living. She would be able to take care of herself now.

And perhaps that was the part that made him so lonely, knowing that one of his kids was really an adult now. His beautiful, mischievous, and brutally strong daughter had just signed over some of her freedom to the Vice Captain of the Shinsengumi.

"You look like you wanna kill the groom," someone said.

Hijikata and Tsukuyo were making their way towards him, both smoking and decked out in their best clothes.

"I blame it on _your_ subordinate," Gintoki said bluntly towards Hijikata. "Doesn't it bother you that he's getting married at the tender age of 25? He should go through the rituals of eternal bachelorhood like the rest of us, goddammit."

"It should bother you that she finally said yes," the vice-commander retorted. Their rivalry had eased up somewhat throughout the years; as soon as Kondo had been promoted to the Shinsengumi Superintendent, Hijikata had been whisked away to bigger cases outside of Edo more and more often.

"Oh, c'mon, at least she looks happy," Tsukuyo said. "Gintoki, you're easily one of the grumpiest people over here."

"Nonsense. You know how many letters of complaint I've gotten from Kagura's father? Too many, that's what."

"Well she's an adult now, she can do what she likes," Tsukuyo said, breathing out smoke. "Right, Hijikata-san?"

"Don't ask me, how am I supposed to understand women?" he grumbled.

"Oogushi-kun's just bitter because he's going to end up single all his life," Gintoki said, pointing his thumb at the Chief.

"Oi, you wanna die, permed bastard? I could say the same fer you!"

"Bring it on, mayora."

"You two are idiots," Tsukuyo said, neatly throwing two kunai into both their skulls. "This is a wedding, for Christ's sake. If you had any ounce of self-respect both of you would shut up and smile."

"... yes ma'am," the two men mumbled into the ground.

Kondo laughed uproariously. "As expected from the Courtesan of Death! Tsukuyo-san, I'm so glad you could attend my boy's wedding."

"Of course," she said sweetly. "I wouldn't miss it, especially not on Kagura-chan's invitation."

"When was the last time you came back to the surface? I remembered you coming down for my wedding, but I couldn't remember - "

"I've been trainin' new recruits," Tsukuyo said. "So it's been very busy; whenever the weather gets nice like this, we got more people interactin' so it's inevitable that there's gonna be more crime."

"Oh, it's the same for Edo. Bad times all around. I suppose the Hyakka doesn't regularly use patrol cars?"

"No, the streets are too antiquated for that," Tsukuyo admitted. "But it would come in handy some time. Where's Otae-san?"

"Over there, mingling with the womenfolk," Kondo said, smiling fondly at the woman of his dreams. Tsukuyo listened to him wax poetically about the woman for five minutes before deciding that it was about prime time she make her way to the married couple, who were suspiciously on the verge of destroying the wedding cake.

"Okita-san, Kagura-chan, congratulations," she said warmly, as the two were about to engage in an epic knife fight. "I wish you the best in your marriage."

"_Tsukki_!" Kagura squealed, diving into the other woman's chest with a ferociously strong hug. "I'm so so so _so_ happy you're here!"

Okita nodded in acknowledgement, not one to engage in the same amount of enthusiasm as his wife. "We've met before."

"Yes, once in Yoshiwara. You came to deliver news of Sadasada's death. And, er, Kagura's so-called 'funeral'..."

"Oh, yeah. That was years ago, wasn't it?"

"I've missed you so much!" Kagura said. "I thought you weren't able to come, Gin-chan said that you were so busy with work!"

"A wedding isn't something I can ignore; it was very kind of you to invite me," she said. At the sound of his name, she blinked a bit faster, trying to calm herself before she embarrassed herself. _He's talked about me_?

"Actually... " Kagura lifted a hand and whispered into Tsukuyo's ear. "I was hoping you could keep an eye on Gin-chan. I don't want him drinking too much, okay?"

"Wh-what's that's supposed to mean?" Tsukuyo whispered back furiously, blushing pink. "I'm not his caretaker - "

Kagura just smiled innocently, her blue eyes shimmering with happiness. "Have fun, okay? I don't want you to not have fun. This isn't supposed to be serious or anything."

Looking at Okita with a smile, she looped his arm around hers, leaving behind a very confused Tsukuyo.

-x-

"... Kagura-chan is someone I consider as my daughter," Gintoki said, his voice warm and yet, tinged with a sadness that was felt by nearly everyone in the audience. "Living in the same apartment day after day, it was hard to deal with her absence when she left to pursue a different life outside of Earth. And it'll be harder still when I come back to my apartment and know that she won't sleep in the closet or pester me to buy her sukonbu anymore. Instead it'll have to be you, Okita-kun. You're going to be responsible for her now."

"It wasn't a mutual arrangement; being her father. There were times where I thought I wasn't good enough, because I never raised kids before... but looking at her, and her finding her own happiness, it makes me believe everything will be fine. And that's all I've ever wanted. For her to be happy. And looking at her now, I think she's found it in her husband."

"Thank you for those years of happiness you've given me. I will love you forever, and wish you the best in your new journey of marriage, Kagura-chan..."

He lifted his cup of sake, and drank it down appropriately. After the applause died away, Tsukuyo turned to Hijikata. "Well, consider me impressed. Not one lewd joke in that wedding toast."

"That perm-head can throw you for a surprise," he agreed, tapping the ash away from his cigarette. "By the way, when are you going to tell him?"

"Huh?"

"I think you know what I'm talking about, but you're just pretending that you don't."

"But I really don't, Hijikata-san."

"I hate love, did you know that?" the Shinsengumi Chief remarked conversationally. "I've been burned off it altogether, so believe me that when I say you should go tell him you've had a walking boner for him for nearly a decade, you should probably do it."

"... Was it that noticeable?"

He nodded.

"You of all people... "

"To be honest, Tsukuyo-san, it's impossible to not notice the way you look at him." He sucked in more of his cigarette smoke. "Remember that case where the three of us were working on that case of the Amanto serial killer? Man, I thought the way he ran after you was really him chasing his own woman."

"He woulda done the same for you."

Hijikata snorted. "Look, deny it all you want. But I don't see the point in stalling forever."

"You sound like you've had some experience in the love department."

"Me?" His smile suddenly turned ironic. "God, no. Never. More like I should have taken a chance when I had it."

-x-

The open bar was utilized to its fullest potential, and Gintoki was half tipsy by the time Tsukuyo had made her way towards him.

"Still talkin' to that mayora?" he asked, a bright flush adorning his face. "You guys are a riot."

"It's nothin' like that," she said. "Kagura told me ta keep an eye on you."

"Did she give you relationship advice too? Typical. She gets married and suddenly she's an expert - wait. Were you in a relationship?"

"No. I'm not with anyone, don't worry." The bartender came over and she decided to go with a virgin cocktail to preserve the general peace. "There's just someone I'm interested in, and Hijikata was actually - believe it or not - tellin' me to go do somethin' about it."

"Lucky guy," Gintoki said, downing down another cup of sake. "Is he here tonight?"

"Mm, yeah."

"Why don'tcha practice on me, then?" he said, smiling devilishly. "Pretend I'm him so you won't be as nervous when you tell the real guy your feelings."

"I - I don't think that would help," Tsukuyo said, fighting the urge to laugh at the irony of the situation.

"Try me."

Well, he was on his way to being drunk, she figured, so there wasn't any point in pushing it off. Both of them would forget about it and continue living life the way they had always lived.

"You have to promise to not make fun of me, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed. "Go on, hit me with your best shot."

"I've always liked you for a long time," Tsukuyo said, her fingers clenching around her cocktail glass nervously. "I just figured you weren't interested... It wasn't my place to stake a claim on you. You were the kinda guy who saw me for more than what I thought I was. I thought I was asexual, and then, you just... came into the picture."

"Hm."

"At first, I was really scared. Like me? Protector of Yoshiwara? I wasn't supposed to feel like this. And I wanted it to go away so badly, but I keep seein' you over and over again, and then I realized... this isn't a love incense, or anythin' silly like that. This is for real. Whether you've stolen my heart unintentionally or not, I'm yours."

He was about to take another sip of his sake before he had heard the word "love incense". And in that moment, he understood; and he knew she had understood too.

"You're not talking about some other guy," he said finally. He looked at her, beautiful; blushing. But it was without a doubt, sincere.

"How long?"

"Seven years," she admitted.

"You went this long without telling me."

"I didn't think you were the type to settle down with a woman," she said softly. "I mean - you had kids, right? And... I had a responsibility to Yoshiwara regardless of my feelings..."

His eyes looked pained. "I suppose you thought what I said to you back then, all these years, was a joke."

_Keep your mitts off of my woman. The Shinigami daiyuu is designated for me and only me for all eternity. And I ain't letting anyone lay a finger on her._

_If it's what you wish… I'll become yours and yours alone._

_I guess I'm really no good. I can't look at the woman I really want to be with… The same way I always have._

"I couldn't help it," she said, smiling sheepishly. "After all, you were a walking pervert back then - "

"Right," he said. "Well, fine. You can count this one for real."

While the band played a tune, he leaned over, his lips slipping neatly over hers. The taste of alcohol lingered on her tongue, sickly sweet and cloying to her senses. But she couldn't get enough of him. This wasn't a dream and neither was it an illusion of smoke in her eyes.

They remained like that, standstill, for a while. She couldn't remember whom had separated first; regardless, her head had been spinning a million miles a minute.

"Well, what you'd think?" he asked her. "Want to come by my place later?"

"I'd like that," she admitted. She wasn't sure of his intentions yet; but so far things were going so well in her favor. It had been two hours since the reception ended and already a few guests had left the party. Gintoki grabbed her hand, ignoring the reactions of the guests who seemed surprised to see the two of them together.

They're looking at us, Tsukuyo realized, and she blushed at the unexpected attention.

_A couple_, she thought to herself. _We're a couple, aren't we?_

The adrenaline had never left her system. As soon as they reached his small apartment on the top of Otose's Snack House, he kicked off his shoes, stretching out his limbs.

"Tired?" he asked, holding out a hand while she removed some of the more ornamental hair clips she had inserted into her blonde locks.

"No." She had always liked the inside of Gintoki's home; it was... familiar, somehow. And comfortable. She had never visited it by herself; only on someone's invitation either by Kagura or Otae, but this time it was different.

"Good. Because I like you."

"I - ah, Gintoki - " He kissed her on her lips, then her jawline, and then her neck. Shuddering, she closed her eyes.

"Believe it or not, I didn't actually bring you here for this."

"I don't care," she found herself saying.

"I'm glad," he said, his thumb tracing the scar from her cheek. "I'm glad you said something, in the end. I wouldn't have the courage to be with you like this. But... is it okay for me to be with you? Won't I burden you?"

"Of course not," she said, her eyes lowered. "Ever since the day I met you, you've changed my life."

Because of him, the ceiling of Yoshiwara had been opened. Because of him, her master had been slain by both their hands. Because of him, her life had been saved and she had saved his in return. Because of him, there had come the day where she had accepted her feelings for him, and made peace with herself over the incontrovertible fact that she was in love with Sakata Gintoki.

Had he not been there for her? Those last few years of loneliness had been shrouded in doubt and self-reflection. It was time to approach happiness of her own, and he was there, residing in her heart as permanently as the moon and the sun in the heavens.

"_Gintoki, I've always loved you._"

-x-

* * *

_to be continued... because it's five in the morning and I can't be bothered with writing anymore..._

(of course the more you review the faster I might update, wink wink, nudge nudge)


	2. Chapter 2

a/n: This chapter is dedicated to Serena who, in her words, wanted some "detailed hot lovin'". Your review made me very happy, though I don't know if you'll get any of that here. I'll write a porn-happy fic sometime soon so that the G-rated folks can still read this one without blushing 8)

Regarding Tsukuyo saying the line, "He'll never belong to anyone - " which broke my heart, thanks Sorachi - I'm going to acknowledge that GinTsu will never happen in the manga, but at least I have the grim satisfaction of knowing that at least Tsukuyo has had the privilege of Gintoki admitting that he wouldn't mind being her lover. ;P

(cue me kicking all the other Gin/someone ships to the curb, maniacal laughing, waving middle fingers willy nilly and thrusting my crotch at the general public)

(gets shot)

* * *

-x-

"In all these years, I've never tried to lay a hand on you," he said, absentmindedly fiddling with the sash on her kimono. "Did you, you know - ever get laid?"

She blushed. "No."

"I've never seen you with anybody else," he murmured, leaning over to kiss her neck. It was a few seconds before she returned to reality.

"But what about you?" she finally breathed. He had carried her all the way to his futon after she had admitted that she had loved him.

"Curse of the Shonen Jump hero, our strength lies in our purity, so says the magazine and whatnot. My dalliances are discreet, I'm afraid," he explained, though his eyes were mischievous. "Who were you waiting for?"

"You."

She met his eyes and hoped he wouldn't run away. It wasn't that she hadn't had the chance to sleep with other men. When she was much younger, keeping her virginity had been a way of rebelling against the status quo, and to dedicate herself to her duty of protecting the women of Yoshiwara. In her later years, however, it was because she didn't think she could have slept with someone she didn't love.

The silence had created a tension so thick that Gintoki rolled himself off of her. She sat up, wondering if she had ruined the mood between them.

She looked away from him. "I'm sorry - I didn't mean for that to sound desperate. But whenever I met someone and tried to like them, and I did try, you know - they just weren't... _you_."

Underneath his dirty jokes and lewd banter, there was a soul made of shining silver. She had respected him too much to ever whisper the slightest hint of her attraction, and still she was afraid that she had overstepped her boundaries.

"You're not desperate," he said. "I just keep thinking about all the time we could have had."

"So you're saying..."

"... I'm saying that I should have done _this_ - " he pulled her into a long, lazy kiss, and naturally she melted into his body, closing her eyes once more - " - a long time ago," Gintoki finished.

Her pale eyelashes fluttered. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

-x-

The sun had woken her up and she had rested in bed for a while, expecting everything to be a dream.

There was a rustle and suddenly she had found that her clothes had been strewn across the floor. Lifting the covers, she realized belatedly that everything that she had wished for had been granted last night.

She had no inclination to trust it, however. Slipping on her undergarments, she slid the door open, finding Gintoki tapping a hard boiled egg with a spoon in the kitchen. He pushed one towards her.

"Want one?"

"Sure," she said, though it was a bit uneasy. He was treating this as if this was normal. She supposed that a man of his personality was used to the affair of waking up to someone after a night of passion. For her, it was unusual to say the least.

"So - about us," he said straightforwardly. "I think it's safe to say that we have a mutual interest in each other."

"That's a bit of an understatement," she said.

He grinned. "Well, anyways, it all works out. I get laid, you get laid - "

At her cheeks turning red, his eyes twinkled. "Juuuuuuust kidding." Stirring his coffee, he took a sip, and added about ten sugar cubes to his mug before she turned away in disgust.

"Admittedly, I don't like this whole 'girlfriend' or 'boyfriend' title, you know? It makes me sound like I'm trying too hard. Like the time where I tried to pretend I wasn't stabbed by that kunai of yours - "

"_You were the one who's trying too hard_!"

He coughed indelicately. "Anyways, I'm just saying that I don't like pet names. Don't call me Gin, or Gin-san, or - "

"Gintoki?"

He looked at her and pointed his spoon. "I demand you to only refer to me as your Lord and Savior."

"And my name is your Highness," she retorted sarcastically.

"Request denied."

Rolling her eyes, she tapped her egg and began to peel off the eggshell. "Gintoki, don't you think we might have... moved too fast?"

Sleeping with a man on the very first night they had kissed seemed a bit too much like a typical Yoshiwaran woman. Which didn't bother her inherently - she didn't care what everyone else thought of her - but she was concerned because this was with regard to the love of her life.

He was in the middle of chewing his egg. After swallowing, he shrugged. "We've known each other for years, right? You've seen the worst of me, and I've seen the best of you. I don't see the problem."

"... I agree that I've seen the worst of you, but... most men would look down on a girl for ... " She looked away, too embarrassed to vocalize what was bothering her. "Never mind."

"Most men would look down on a woman just because they don't respect them as a whole," he said mildly. He took her hand, gently thumbing her palm. "Look, I don't really care about things like that."

"Sorry. I suppose I've been around too many men," she said, smiling.

"You should take care of that."

"Can't. They're Yoshiwara's steady form of income. Take away men and you'll have a barren city."

"I'd come and visit you if that happened."

"You couldn't visit every girl."

"I'd try."

"I wouldn't want you to."

He laughed.

-x-

"She's a lot more relaxed, don't you think?"

"You think so?"

"Yeah. She didn't chew me out when I accidentally threw that kunai at an innocent bystander. Thankfully it missed, but still."

"Really? Man, do you think something happened to her?"

Asahi sauntered over, smug as hell. "Get a load of this. Our boss is _attached_."

The other two Hyakka guards looked at her, unimpressed. "She's been unattached for years, dude. Trust me, if she ever got laid, we would know."

"Pfft, you guys are just being naive," Asahi said. "I saw hickeys on her neck, aight? Which means - "

She keeled over a second later, a kunai stuck to her back.

"I wasn't aware my sex life was a conversational topic," Tsukuyo interjected darkly, to which her subordinates quivered slightly in their boots.

"W-We weren't insinuating a-anything l-like that, Boss! And a-anyways, h-how was Kagura-san's w-w-wedding?"

"Fun. Depressing. But fun." Tsukuyo stooped to remove the kunai from Asahi's back. "By the way, would any of you ladies like to go on a date with Hijikata Toushirou? He's pretty good lookin', single, has a good job, and sexually frustrated."

There was an awkward silence between all four of them before Asahi finally rolled over and said, "Boss, he sounds like your perfect match."

Tsukuyo snorted. "I'm already taken, thank you very much."

The two other guards paused, before one of the women picked up Tsukuyo by the collar.

"HOLY SHIT, BOSS! IS THIS FOR REAL? LIKE FOR REAL REAL? I THOUGHT YOU WERE A LESBIAN FROM ALL THOSE YEARS - "

"H-hey! Watch yer hands!" Tsukuyo's cheeks had bloomed pink. "And it's none of yer business!"

The other woman began to sniff. "I'm so happy for you, Boss." Grasping Tsukuyo's hands, she wailed, "Please get married to this man have have plenty of children!"

"_OIIIII_! WHO MENTIONED CHILDREN? BECAUSE I CERTAINLY DIDN'T, THAT'S FER SURE - "

-x-

"You've never ridden a bike."

"Never."

"God that's sad," Gintoki said.

"You're not teachin' me how to ride a bike."

"It's fun, okay. Look, this thing has training wheels. You can't screw up. Grandma used to tell me that you can't ever forget how to ride a bike. It's like riding a woman - "

"NO ONE ASKED FOR THAT COMPARISON, YOU ROTTEN PERMHEAD - "

" - and so, I thought I'd take the time to teach the love of my life how to ride a bike." He grinned. "You never know, it could be useful, right?"

She glared at him. "So that's the reason why you told me to wear a shorter kimono."

"Well, there might have been some other motivation too," he said, shrugging it off. "Like for instance the fact that you have great legs and that I was getting sick of you wearing the one that covers your entire body, or, you know, the fact that you'd probably trip if you tried riding this little guy in a longer kimono."

"Okay," she said, deciding to ignore his comment about her legs. "You're supposed to pedal it and it moves, right?"

"Yeah," he said. "Go on."

She swung her legs over and pushed her foot on the right pedal before her heel got stuck in the pedal. "Fuck, what the hell - "

"Just pedal!" Gintoki said, pushing her.

"WAIT A MINUTE - " She was about to curse him out before she finally pushed on the damn thing, and things clicked together for a few seconds.

"Heh, knew you could do it," Gintoki remarked, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. Tsukuyo was circling around the district, weaving around the trees and the sidewalk before she made her way back to him -

"HEY! YOU NEVER TOLD ME HOW TA BRAKE THIS DAMN THING!"

"Oh shit," he muttered. "This is bad. Very bad." Outwardly he yelled, "Just press on those handlebar things!"

"You mean these?" she yelled back, lifting her hand to point at them, which was a crucial mistake.

"Yes!"

She pressed hard on them, and while it had the desired outcome of stopping the wheel, it unfortunately came too abruptly. The bicycle overturned after skidding on the curb of the sidewalk, flipping Tsukuyo over -

"OI, WHAT ARE YOU DOING - "

- and in a fit of hilarious chaos that could not have been planned, the bike smashed into a bench, breaking the poor structure into three pieces, rendering it useless.

"Tsukuyo!" Gintoki ran over, worried for a moment before he found her face down on the grass. "You okay?"

She coughed, wiping the dirt off her face. "... Yeah, more or less." A shadow flitted across both of them before her expression darkened.

"What - Oh _shit_."

Hijikata Toushirou stood above the two of them, cigarette in mouth with a distinctively unhappy frown.

-x-

"Look, Oogushi-kun, I was teaching her how to ride a bike. I mean, that bench was already messed up in the first place."

"YOU TWO DESTROYED PUBLIC PROPERTY!" Hijikata yelled. "AND WE JUST REPLACED THAT BENCH ONLY A FEW MONTHS AGO! YOUR ADOPTED DAUGHTER WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR IT, GODDAMMIT - "

"C-calm d-down, H-Hijikata-kun. I-it was probably Sougo's fault for egging her on, a-anyway - "

"Who are you trying to lay the blame on, huh?!"

"Gintoki, it's no use. We might as well face the consequences of our actions."

"We?" Gintoki retorted. "Excuse me, but _I_ didn't wreck that bench."

"How was I s'posed ta know that it was gonna end up like that? You didn't tell me how to brake in the first place!"

"Everybody knows how to brake! It's a fundamental rule of riding a bike!"

"You were teachin' me! That shoulda been YOUR responsibility."

Hijikata slammed both his hands on his desk. "Enough. You two are spending a night in the clinker."

Tsukuyo sighed, rubbing a hand across her face. "Alright."

"Oiiiiii, this is a travesty of justice!" Gintoki protested. "I should call my lawyer! This is police brutality! Innocent before proven guilty, officer!"

"WHAT LAWYER? YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO PAY THE RENT!"

-x-

In the end, it was Hinowa who bailed them out after a hurried phone call. To Tsukuyo's relief, she was looking more amused than angry. She didn't think she could have walked out if Hinowa was angry.

After Hijikata had told her the story, she nodded and paid the amount that would have been needed for repairs, and then walked over to their cell, smiling brightly.

"I'm assuming Gintoki can pay off his debt to me, yes?" Hinowa asked sweetly. "Tsukuyo might need a man to patrol with once in a while. The streets are getting a bit dangerous."

"Hinowa! What are you doing?" Tsukuyo asked, horrified. "He's gonna sleep somewhere and doze off!"

"Um, you two, I'm right here."

"Then I'll expect you to keep him on his toes, yes?" To Gintoki, Hinowa turned to him and advised, "Take care of Tsukki. She's probably just nervous about introducing you to the rest of her subordinates - "

"THE HELL I AM!"

"See what I mean?" Hinowa said, eyes the picture of innocence.

Finally, Gintoki grinned in anticipation. "Can't wait to meet your gal pals, honey."

-x-

"Man, so that's the guy she's with," Asahi said, peering through binoculars from the Yoshiwara rooftops. "He looks kinda lame. Is that really who they're calling the Savior of Yoshiwara?"

"Don't underestimate him," her partner warned. "I heard he took down Hosen without breaking a sweat."

"Hinata, those are just rumors. There's no way he could have done that by himself. And wait, is that a wooden sword he's carrying?"

"Gimme that," Hinata said, shoving Asahi to the side. "Damn, he's kinda cute! Dunno whatcha talking about, Asahi. He looks buff from this angle."

"Pfft, with that mop of curly silver hair? Please. I like my men with straightened hair."

"Well, Boss doesn't seem to think so - oh shit!" Hinata ducked as a kunai made her way. "I think she saw us."

"YOU TWO BETTER BE PATROLLING THE NEXT TIME I SEE YA!" Tsukuyo screamed at the duo.

"Yes ma'am!"

-x-

"It's actually a wonder how you haven't died from a heart attack by now," Gintoki commented as they walked throughout Yoshiwara. "You know, the stress is gonna kill you someday."

"How else am I s'posed to run Hyakka?" Tsukuyo asked, breathing out smoke. "There are thousands of people relyin' on us to make sure that they're safe everyday."

She raised a shoulder, stretching out the kinks in her muscles before they started to ache. "And anyways, if I don't do it, no one else will."

"That's what I used to say a long time ago."

"Yeah? What happened then?"

"I quit being making sure everyone depended on me," Gintoki said, arm slipping into his loose yukata. "I'm not a leader like you or Hijikata. I'm just another guy."

She chuckled. "You underestimate yourself."

"More like been there, done that," he said, shrugging. "I mean, I like being a free agent most of the time. That's why I guess I stayed single all my life before I met you."

"... Really?"

"Really really," he said. "You're worth the risk."

She turned away, her face growing progressively hotter. "... You suck," she muttered. He just smiled, continuing to walk next to her.

-x-

"I _knew_ you guys hooked up," Seita finally accused them, looking up from his Shonen Jump. "Finally. Took you way too long, I was even taking bets with Kagura-nee-chan when it was gonna happen - "

Tsukuyo smacked him on the head. "OW! That hurt!"

Rubbing his head, Seita grinned sheepishly. "So, what brings you here to Yoshiwara, Gin-san?"

"... It's complicated."

"Riiiiiiiight," the teen said sarcastically. "You sure you're not here for anything else?"

"He owes Hinowa a debt," Tsukuyo explained. "He's gonna stay in the spare room until it's paid off."

Seita took this in stride. "You sure he'd rather do that than stay in _your_ room?"

Tsukuyo smacked his head again. "Hey! Your job right now is to make him feel like a guest, alright?" She looked at her cell phone. "I gotta attend a few other things, but for now, just get him settled."

"Fine."

Seita looked at Gintoki after she disappeared into the streets. "So, I'm confused. Are you _sure_ you're with her... or am I just imagining things again?"

-x-

She didn't come back until two in the morning. He had kept the oil lantern at bay shortly after he'd been served dinner, keeping himself company with a few volumes of Shonen Jump, yawning a bit before reaching for coffee.

A slight wind rustled as he took a sip, and then two quiet footsteps shuffled shortly afterwards. He rolled to his feet.

Her room, thankfully, was unlocked. She was in the middle of undressing as he slid it open.

"HEY! Knock, you asshole!" she whispered as she reached out quickly for her bathrobe.

"Tsukki, I've already seen you naked. It's kinda pointless to pretend otherwise," he said casually. "Nice thong, by the way."

"Tha - that's not the point!"

"Well, I'm not gonna spend my night away from you, so I mean." He shrugged. "You're kind of cruel, you know that? I mean, we're kind of going out and it's like you're trying to keep us on the down low. I can understand why, but still."

She undid her hair, sighing. "I'm just - okay, I'm just not used to doing this."

"Neither am I. But at least I'm fine with letting people know."

"It's different for you than it is for me, alright? Just give me some time to get used to it. One day I might be fine with holding hands with you in public, but for now..." She sighed. "This is all new to me."

"Okay. I can get that," he agreed good-naturedly. "You tired?"

She nodded.

"Cool, I am too."

With a permission granted with words unspoken, he slipped into bed with her, his arm loosely surrounding her waist.

"You didn't have to wait up for me," she mumbled.

"Yeah, but I wanted to."

-x-

* * *

a/n: So concludes Chapter 2... still to be continued because I had waaaaay too much fun writing this ehehe.

Read and review please! :3 Same disclaimer as always - more reviews, more motivation to update, blahblahblah, you know the whole story by now. XD


End file.
